Blogs

Albuquerque's Real Time Crime Center

The sworn officers who assist civilian dispatchers and analysts in the Albuquerque Police Department's new Real-Time Crime Center (RTCC) typically rotate into the assignment after they've been placed on injured, restricted or light duty.

While this special assignment is earned more out of necessity rather than choice—it's not sought after like SWAT, K-9 or motor patrol—working in the center carries a weighty responsibility. Officers must provide detailed, possibly life-saving, information to the patrol officers in the field.

The RTCC opened March 1 in the renovated wing of the APD's downtown station. City bonds and federal grants covered its $800,000 price tag. It features a bank of 16 television screens, including a 90-inch monitor, and eight work stations. The center is staffed by four civilian crime analysts, two civilian video production workers, a video intelligence sergeant, live operations sergeant, and a detective.

Twelve sworn officers work in "the bridge," the nickname given to the area clustered with monitors. They monitor calls for service, provide real-time intelligence to field officers, and search law enforcement databases.

Albuquerque's RTCC joined 16 other so-called "smart policing" centers that are reinventing the traditional law enforcement call center, or Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP). Others have opened in Chicago, Houston, New York City and Memphis, Tenn.

The decision to destroy surveillance footage older than 24 hours may seem like a curious one. Why get rid of potentially valuable video data that could help solve cases? The move appears to be an olive branch to civil libertarians who have said the department's approach raises red flags that "Big Brother" is watching.

Peter Simonson, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of New Mexico, said his group worries about the center's ability to monitor citizens.

"The department has created a system that has the potential to collect massive amounts of data and establish patterns of activity that the police might take as suspicious, but that are in fact activity that is perfectly law abiding," Simonson told the Albuquerque Journal.

Wilham responds that the center doesn't monitor citizens, but rather provides intelligence to crime fighters.

In addition to the municipal camera network, popular New Mexico fast-food chain Blake's Lotaburger has agreed to turn over their cameras at 83 locations during a critical incident or crime in progress.

To improve field intelligence, RTCC managers assigned patrol officers in the higher-crime southeast section of the city with a special iPhone equipped with a Zco app that connects with a MorphoTrak fingerprint reader. The app connects to a local APD database of more than 200,000 photos that can be searched for a facial-recognition match.

With the RTCC, Albuquerque Police Chief Ray Schultz created the Smart Policing Division to support patrol officers.

"He wanted to give officers real time information to give them the information they need," Wilham said. "We will know if a person we come into contact with has a history of mental illness, if a person living at a residence has a warrant, and where the ankle bracelets are."

Author

As the POLICE Web editor, Paul Clinton contributes posts about patrol cars, motorcycles, and other police vehicles. He previously wrote about automotive electronics as managing editor of Mobile Electronics. Prior to that, he was an award-winning newspaper reporter.

As the POLICE Web editor, Paul Clinton contributes posts about patrol cars, motorcycles, and other police vehicles. He previously wrote about automotive electronics as managing editor of Mobile Electronics. Prior to that, he was an award-winning newspaper reporter.

Careers

Many police departments have a pop-up tent, a folding table, and a bunch of knick-knacks with the department badge or logo to give away during street festivals and other events. This is a very passive recruitment tool, and arguably a giant waste of time and resources. Where the real recruitment opportunities exist are in the day-to-day contact between young people and the police officers who serve their communities.

De-policing is an outcome — it is the direct result of protesters, politicians, and the press applying enormous pressure on police to do less policing — in which the obvious end state is an increase in violent crime.

As you settle into this snowy, stormy season your thoughts should also migrate toward winter patrol tactics.Take a few minutes to prepare and think what you need to do to be tactically safe and comfortable.

Maybe you need a last minute tax deduction on professional and safety equipment before the end of the year. I know that at this time of year I require some of what I call needful things for myself. Here are some shopping suggestions.

A husband on a shift schedule has been known to drive a solid wife nutty, make a grown woman scream, or throw a calm child into tantrum mode. Living this way for any length of time is like living in a constant state of jet lag.

You can have a fine career here in Copland and can do so without breaking the rules and ending up in trouble. Each of these lessons learned comes from a true story that had liability and professional repercussions.

During your career, you'll hear all too often familiar phrases repeated, some may not be worth repeating but some are lifesavers. I've developed a short list of maxims that good leaders reiterate and young officers should heed.

Police work is one of the most stressful jobs in this country. Day after day, officers see the worst of humanity; absorb the world's negativity; and come home to us. How can we expect this to have no effect on their minds, bodies, and souls? The fact is it does.

The New Jersey State Parole Board's Sex Offender Management Unit's sworn officers prevent repeat offenses and help offenders re-enter society with active supervision, the use of GPS ankle bracelets, counseling programs and subsequent arrests for new violations.